Verdict

When I first heard the specifications for the A1 II, I felt a little underwhelmed. Despite its flagship status and price, there’s no major new features here, just a series of smaller updates to refresh the camera, and bring it up to date on autofocus and body design. 

Almost all of the new features have been inherited from previous bodies, most notably the A9 III, and while it’s nice to have more sophisticated subject detection, pre-capture bursts, a highly flexible screen and speed boost mode, the biggest new feature making its debut here is Auto subject recognition. 

And even as a champion of CF Express Type-A memory, the slots won’t exploit the extra speed of the latest 4th Generation cards. I’d say there’s little reason for existing A1 owners to upgrade unless they really value the improved subject detection and pre-capture.

Some may also be disappointed there’s no new sensor or boost in frame rate, but to be fair Sony traditionally uses parts more than once and this is only the second outing for the A1’s sensor. I think it’s important to manage your expectations and ask whether you really need more than 50 Megapixels or 30fps. Some may, but for me it’s plenty, with the body capturing hugely detailed images in fast bursts with barely any skewing to mention.

But equally you could already do this with the original A1 and the new model illustrates just how much its predecessor achieved several years ago. And while the A1 II price may be similar to the A1 at launch without even taking inflation into account, the market has moved on. 

Not only can you now buy discounted or used Alpha 1 bodies, but Canon’s EOS R5 Mark II has become a compelling alternative at roughly two thirds the price. It’s resolved most of its issues with skewing and overheating, while including their cunning eye control viewfinder and clever action priority autofocus.

Ultimately while the A1 II may only represent a mild refresh over its predecessor, this still makes it Sony’s most powerful overall Alpha body and one that’s worthy of the flagship status. It easily handled anything I asked of it and never let me down. The big question for potential buyers though is whether it’s worth investing the extra over a discounted or used A1.